Guard finger and ledger plate



Patented Apr. 8, 1930 yUNITED STATES CHARLES F. HOVER.,y OFCONRAD,MONTANA GUARD FINGER AND L'EDGER PLATE Application led June 5, 1925,Serial No. 194. Renewed August 27, 1929.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in guard fingersand ledger plates for mowing machines.

One object of the kinvention is to provide 5 a ledger plate which isheld in the guard nger without the use of bolts or rivets, and which isconstructed to permit the easy application and removal Without the useof special tools.

Another object is to provide a guard iinger and ledger `plate therefor,which is so constructed that a single movement of a nail, or likeinstrument, unseats the plate, and a single movement rest-ores the plateto its seat.

A further object is to provide a ledger plate which is adapted to expandthe seating spring so that -said spring will frictionally remain inposition to prevent any loose motion of the late. p Other objects andadvantages will be apparent from the following description when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a guard iinger showing the ledger platein position.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal central sectional view, on the line2-2 of Figure 1,v

showing the use of a large nail for unseating the plate.

Figure 3 is a similar sectional view showf ing the use of the lnail whenrestoring the plate to its seat.

Figure 4 1s a vertical transverse sectional 5 view on the line 4-4 ofFigurel 1, showing the bevel faces of the guard finger and ledger plate.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 5 5 of Figure 2,showing the spring and tapered nose of the ledger plate.

Referring particularly to the accompanying dra-wing, 10 represents thebody of the guard linger which has the longitudinal cavity 11, providedwith the rear end wall 12,

and in the forward end of the linger there is formed a socket 13, inwhich is seated the coil spring 14. The upper face of the said rear wall12 is formed with a recess 15, the side walls 16, of which convergerearwardly, and

f are underbeveled.

Properly disposed on the guard finger, in` covering relation to thecavity, is the ledger plate 17. The side portions of the ledger plateare underbeveled forwardly of the wall 12, to provide the usual cuttingedges, and at the rear or wider end of the plate the corners are cutoffobliquely, as at 18, and such oblique portions are beveled on theirupper sides to snugly fit beneath the underbeveled walls 16, of therecess 415. Formed centrally on theforward 'or narrower end of the plate17, is a forwardly extending and tapered nose 19, whichis arranged toenter the adjacent end of the coil spring 14, the inclined sides of saidnose causing the convolutions of the spring to expand andl snugly andfrictionally engage thewalls of the socketl, with the result that theforward end ofthe ledger plate is firmly held against any'tendency tomove sidewise. rThe normal expansive forceof the spring 14 i' urges theledger plate rearwardly so that its vbeveled portionslS-'rmly engagewith the underbeveled'walls of the recess 15.

, Formed centrally in the rear or wider end of-V the ledger plate is anelongated openended slot 20, the forward'or closed end of which overliesthe rear portion of the cavity 11, in advance of the rear wall 12 of thecavity, to permit the introduction of the end of a nail 21, as shown inthe drawing, as will be later described. The forward portion of the slot2O is disposed so that the wall thereof cooperates with the adjacentportion of the wall 12, wherebywhen the pointed end of a nail isinserted in said slot and rocked rearwardly, the said pointedend of thenail will press the rear end of the ledger plate upwardly lso that thebeveled faces 18 will slide upwardly and forwardly against the beveledwalls 16, and the plate' moved Vforwardly against the tension of thespring 14, to completely unseat the plate.

To replace the ledger plate, the operator places the plate over thecavity of the guard linger so that its nose 19 is disposed within theadjacent end of the spring 14, and then inserts the pointed end of thenail'in the slot 20 and rocks the nail forwardly so that the pointed endthereof bears againstthe forward face of the wall 12, while the portionAof the nail, adjacent the point bears on the forward end wall of theslot. This operation serves to press the ledger plate downwardly andforwardly, against the tension of the spring 14:, and forwardly of therecess l5, with the result that the spring 14: will act to snap the rearend of the plate beneath the underbeveled walls 16.

It will he noted that a single movement of the nail is required tounseat the plate, and that a single movement is required to seat theplate, thus rendering the replacement of ledger plates a simple and easy0peration, and one requiring a very short time.

There is thus provided a guard finger unit, including a guard elementand a ledger plate, both of which are so constructed as to cooperate tohold the ledger plate against any movementwith respect to the guardelement, and also wherein the yledger .plate can he easily and quicklyseated in the guard element or removed therefrom.

What is claimed is:

A guard finger having a ledger plate seat having rearwardly convergingunderheveled side walls, a ledger plate on the seat having its rear endformed with rearwardly converging and beveled side walls engagedloeneaththe side walls of the seat, said rear end of the ledger plate having anotch the innermost portion of which normally lies forwardly of the seatto permit introduction of a ledger plate prying tool, and resilientmeans carried by the guard finger and engaging with the other end of theledger plate for urgingthe latter into the seat and for projecting theledger plate rearwardly out of the guard linger upon lifting action bysuch tool.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

CHARLES F. HOVER.

